Round and Plump

Though it was hard not to envy other people's mothers, for Taozi, rather than dwelling on envy—she’d rather rely on her own two hands to create happiness.

At the very least, she had to make sure her younger sisters could afford to go to school and learn to read…

So they wouldn’t be forced into early marriages.

"Auntie, I’m going to collect cans now," Taozi said.

"Oh, sorry for keeping you from your work. Here, take this red envelope," Aunt Xian said, pulling one from her bag and stuffing it into Taozi’s hands.

"No, no, no—you really don’t have to! You’re too kind!" Taozi was startled and immediately waved her hands in refusal.

But Aunt Xian insisted, pressing it into her grasp. "It’s just a piece of red paper, no need to be polite."

"I have things to do, so I’ll be going now."

"Ah? O-okay." Taozi wasn’t entirely sure what "red paper" meant, but she’d heard that red envelopes here were usually tokens of good luck, so she reluctantly accepted it.

Watching the aunt walk away, Taozi curiously opened the surprisingly thick envelope—only to find five hundred yuan inside!

"……"

The girl was stunned by the amount. Wasn’t this supposed to be a small token of luck? Usually, people gave ten yuan at most.

At least, that’s what she’d read online.

"The world of the wealthy…" Taozi didn’t understand. She shook her head, carefully tucked the money away, and began gathering the discarded cans from the spectator stands.

Time passed quickly, and by the time she finished, the sky had darkened.

Satisfied, Taozi sat down, eyeing the bag of cans beside her, then pulled a steamed bun from her pocket and began eating it with sips of water.

Though it was bland, she took bite after bite.

Just then, her phone rang—

"I gaze afar~ above the moon~"

Taozi’s hand jerked, nearly dropping the bun. She quickly fished out her worn-out phone and answered.

"Hello—"

"You useless brat, how is this month’s money so little?!" A woman’s voice screeched through the phone, laced with fury.

Taozi froze, then clutched the phone tighter. "I-I put it in the card…?"

"Not enough! Scrounge up more, or those brats at home can forget about school!" the woman continued to berate. "School, school, school—what’s the point?! Girls studying is useless! The neighbor offered fifty thousand in betrothal gifts, and you still refused to marry! If you can’t even earn money, what good are you?! Worthless!"

"I… I know…"

"Hurry up!"

The call ended abruptly. Taozi stared blankly at the phone in her hand before silently putting it away and continuing to chew on her bun.

Somehow, the tasteless bun suddenly turned salty.

And carried a faint metallic tang.

Tears streamed down Taozi’s face as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeve, but the droplets fell like broken pearls, unstoppable, pattering onto the field.

"Ugh…"

"Uu…"

"I’m so tired…"

"Really… so tired…"

Her voice choked with sobs, she rubbed her eyes fiercely again, then took deep, shuddering breaths to steady herself.

"Mm…"

"Uu…"

"I… can’t collapse. My sisters need to go to school. They need to see how dazzling the city outside is." Taozi stood up, as if rallying herself. "Hah!"

Her shout echoed across the empty field, oddly cathartic.

She wolfed down the last of the bun, drained the water bottle, and dragged the bag of cans away.

The night sky was murky, but the girl’s figure, stubborn and resilient like the few flickering stars above, gradually vanished into the shadows.

……

"Huff…"

"Huff…"

"Huff…"

In a well-lit city apartment, Ye Shuang was lifting dumbbells, working on his muscles.

"What’s up with brother?"

"Ye Shuang says he’s not old yet, so he’s building muscle," Tang Keke explained. After dinner, Chen Qin had returned to the company, leaving Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke lounging on the sofa, watching Ye Shuang exercise. Admittedly, he had put on some weight.

It seemed that when life got comfortable, "happy fat" was inevitable.

After all, good moods led to bigger appetites, and without worries, sleep came easily.

If not for his job as a school doctor, it’d be no different from raising a pig.

"I don’t think brother’s changed at all. He’s always been handsome," Tang Keke giggled.

"But being round isn’t great, right, Yuyou?"

"Round…" Bai Yuyou suddenly imagined Ye Shuang as a plump, round figure. Her ahoge shot upright.

"Like. Round is cute."

Tang Keke tapped her chin.

"Yuyou, your tastes are unique."

"Mhm. Feels…" Bai Yuyou pointed at Yi Wan, curled up nearby, "like Yi Wan. Soft."

Yi Wan lazily cracked an eye open, yawned, and went back to sleep.

The orange cat was now pushing fifteen pounds—overweight for his breed, a size usually seen in larger cats like Ragdolls.

At this point, Yi Wan was basically a giant chicken drumstick.

"Metabolism slows with age, and sitting around all day as a school doctor doesn’t help. The weight piles on fast," Ye Shuang mused. Today’s sports day had made him realize—

He wasn’t even thirty yet. No reason to slack off.

At the very least, he should aim to restore his abs from eight to four.

"Yuyou, come hold my legs. I’m doing sit-ups." Feeling his arms ache, Ye Shuang decided to shift focus to his belly.

"Okay."

Bai Yuyou stood, then sat on his lower abdomen as he lay down.

"Uh, not there." Ye Shuang awkwardly nudged her back. From this angle, it looked… questionable.

"Oh." She scooted back.

Finally settled, Bai Yuyou anchored his legs firmly.

"Huff…"

"Huff…"

"Huff…"

Ye Shuang started his sit-ups, but exhaustion hit fast. Soon, he collapsed onto the floor. "Whew, really out of shape. Forty and I’m done."

Bai Yuyou watched, then crawled over and nestled against his arm, gazing up at him like a small animal.

"What’s up?" Ye Shuang asked, meeting her stare.

"Ye Shuang…"

"Yeah?"

"Round is cute too."

Ye Shuang: "?"

What did that mean?